Bobby Shaftoe’s fat and fair,
Combing down his yellow hair,
He’s my love forevermore,
Pretty
Bobby Shaftoe.
Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?
I’ve been to London to see the Queen.
Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you there?
I frightened a little mouse under the chair.
Taffy was a Welchman, Taffy was a thief,
Taffy came to my house and stole a piece of beef;
I went to Taffy’s house, Taffy wasn’t
at home,
Taffy came to my house and stole a marrow-bone;
I went to Taffy’s house, Taffy was in bed,
I took the marrow-bone, and beat about his head.
Boys and girls, come out to play,
The moon does shine as bright as day,
Leave your supper, and leave your sleep,
And meet your playfellows in the street;
Come with a whoop, and come with a call,
And come with a good will, or not at all.
Up the ladder and down the wall,
A halfpenny roll will serve us all.
You find milk and I’ll find flour,
And we’ll have pudding in half an hour.
Ride a cock horse to Banbury-cross
To see what Tommy can buy;
A penny white loaf, a penny white cake,
And a two penny apple pie.
Ride a cock hose to Shrewsbury-cross,
To buy little Johnny a galloping horse
It trots behind and it ambles before,
And Johnny shall ride till he can ride no more.
Jemmy Jed went into a shed,
And made a ted of straw his bed;
An owl came out and flew about,
And Jimmy Jed up stakes and fled.
Wasn’t Jimmy Jed a staring fool,
Born in the woods to be scar’d by an owl?
How many miles to Babylon?
Threescore miles and ten.
Can I get there by candle-light?
Yes, and back again.
Oh I am so happy,
A little girl said,
As she sprang like a lark
From her low trundle bed.
It is morning, bright morning,
Good
morning, Papa!
Oh give me one kiss,
For
good morning, Mamma!
Trip upon trenchers,
And dance upon dishes,
My mother sent me for yeast, some yeast,
She bid me tread lightly,
And come again quickly,
For fear the young men would play me some jest.
Yet didn’t you see, yet
didn’t you see,
What naughty tricks they put upon me?
They broke my pitcher, and spilt my water,
And huff’d my mother, and chid her daughter,
And kissed my sister instead of me.
What’s the news of the day,
Good neighbor, I pray?
They say the balloon
Has gone up to the moon.
There was an old man in a velvet coat,
He kiss’d a maid and gave her groat;
The groat was crack’d and would not go.
Ah, old man, do you serve me so?
Three wise men of Gotham
Went to sea in a bowl,
And if the bowl had been stronger
My song had been longer.
Wash me and comb me
And lay me down softly,
And set me a bank to dry,
That I may look pretty,
When some one comes by.